Wisps of Regret

This bestselling former Palisades release is book five in the new Glenbrooke series by award-winning author Robin Jones Gunn. Shelly Graham has moved home to Glenbrooke, where she's flooded with memories of her high school sweetheart, who took off for Europe after they broke up. But when Shelly travels to Germany, she suddenly runs into the former boyfriend who has filled her thoughts. Learning that Jonathan is engaged, Shelly hides her feelings for him. After returning home, however, she must face these feelings, especially after her path crosses Jonathan's yet again. Only this time, if they can find the strength to be honest, they just might discover what God has in store.She remembers their childhood with longing their parting with regret…

Coming home wasn’t supposed to feel this way. After five years as a flight attendant, Shelly is home again, in a house alive with happy memories. Yet she feels strangely lost. Without direction. Alone.

Where is Jonathan Renrield when she needs him? Jonathan, her best friend nearly all her life, her first and only love. Shelly hadn’t meant to hurt him when she left him behind to chase her dreams. And she misses him more than she’s ever admitted. When they unexpectedly meet in Germany , Shelly manages to hide her feelings from Jonathan—and his fiancée. But she can no longer hide them from herself. Will she ever be ready to tell Jonathan the truth? Will she have the chance?

Not until a business trip takes her to charming Glenbrooke , Oregon does Shelly finally understand: only the truth can set her free. But is it too late for her and Jonathan?

Oftentimes, we as individuals do not see that God has His best in front of us. We need to follow our plans and so as we stray from God's path, God lets things happen to us that will force us to get onto the right path, and in Shelly's case, pain was the only way that could get her back onto the path.

Here is a little bit about the author and her blog: http://www.robingunn.com/

I got this book free from: Blogging for Books!

Little Ordinary Me

The prophet Nehemiah's cousin can speak numerous languages, keep complex accounts, write on rolls of parchment and tablets of clay, and solve great mysteries. There is only one problem: she is a woman.

In her early childhood years, Sarah experienced the death of her mother and her father's subsequent emotional distance and she came to two conclusions: that God does not care about her, and that her accomplishments are the measure of her worth - the measure of her self.

Sarah, the talented scribe and cousin to Nehemiah, is catapulted into the center of the Persian court, working too many hours, rubbing elbows with royalty, and solving intrigues for the Queen. Ironically, it isn't failure but success that causes Sarah to lose her only source of external validation.

Oftentimes, the concept of self-worth is from people we love and trust. Just as Sarah struggled with self-worth, so have I. I have been putting way to much trust onto people's words and not enough on God. I have only come to terms with how others see me and how I should get away from it all. 

God has recently been showing me that I don't need anyone telling me what my self-worth is, except for Him. I don't need to put in effort into something so meaningless as to other people's concept as to how I should act and so forth. Instead, I just need to keep my eyes on Him and He alone will guide me through life.

Double the Blessings

As Christmas day nears, Bree and her faithful search-and-rescue dog Samson follow the trail of a troubling mystery into the snowy forests of Rock Harbor. Bree Matthews is preparing for Christmas guests, but her heart is reeling from the recent and tender loss of her unborn child. Her sister-in-law, Lauri, suddenly turns up on the doorstep of the lighthouse home Bree shares with her husband, Kade, in Rock Harbor. Secretive and withdrawn, Lauri seems curiously intent on discovering what happened to a parachuter who disappeared in the North Woods along Lake Superior's icy shore.
As Bree and Samson, her search-and-rescue dog, plunge into the search, Bree wonders if Lauri may know more than she’s admitted about the parachuter. And then the clues lead them to the trail of a young woman whose family fears the worst about her disappearance.
Will the search on this snowy, silent night lead Bree and Samson to more than clues about the missing girl? And will Bree’s prayer for a baby ever be answered?

I couldn't put this book down when I got it from BookSneeze. I have Collenn Coble's earlier book called: City in the Night. I really like this series because you see in the end that all have worked out fine for good at the end. It's not luck, but blessings. Even though these books are fictional, you really feel God's providence in these stories and esp. at the end with Bree.

I would recommend this book to anyone to read near the Christmas holidays. It's a book that teaches us to be grateful for our families and to treasure one another as we pass another year. 

Right Where I Belong

Natalia’s about to discover her place in the world . . . and it’s not following in her father’s footsteps.
After watching her father jump from one marriage to the next, Natalia has completely written off love. And when her father divorces his third wife—the only one who has been a mother to her—Natalia is ready to write him off too.
Needing a change of scenery, Natalia leaves her home in Spain and relocates with her stepmother to sun-soaked Florida. But she didn’t realize just how far a new school, a new culture, and a new lifestyle would push her out of her comfort zone.
One of her biggest surprises comes from Brian, a pastor’s son with an adorable smile, who loves God with a sincerity that astounds Natalia. She doesn’t want to fall for him, but she can’t seem to avoid him long enough to get him out of her mind.

Oftentimes, I have wondered where exactly I belong. I look at my mediocre life and think, my friends have this and their life is going where I want to go, but in my life, there seems to be too many lacking things. I'm uncertain about my future, while other friends are going places. After I read this book, I realized that God's plan is bigger my life. He can see further than I can, just like a human vs. an ant. The ant can only see in the space right in front of him, but he can't see what's ahead of him.

Right now, even though I can barely see in front of me, I know that God will steer me in the right direction when the right time comes. Now I am exactly where I belong.

Twas the Night Before Heaven for the Sandy Hook Children

Twas' 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38,
when 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven's gate.
Their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air.
They could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.
They were filled with such joy, they didn't know what to say.......
They remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day.
"Where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.
"This is heaven." declared a small boy.
"We're spending Christmas at God's house."
When what to their wondering eyes did appear,
but Jesus, their savior, the children gathered near.
He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same.
Then He opened His arms and He called them by name.
And in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring.
Those children all flew into the arms of their King.
And as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace,
one small girl turned and looked at Jesus' face.
And as if He could read all the questions she had,
He gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of mom and dad."
Then He looked down on earth, the world far below
He saw all of the hurt, the sorrow, and woe.
Then He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand,
"Let My power and presence re-enter this land!"
"May this country be delivered from the hands of fools"
"I'm taking back my nation. I'm taking back my schools!"
Then He and the children stood up without a sound;
"Come now my children, let me show you around."
Excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran;
All displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.
And I heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,
"In the midst of this darkness, I AM STILL THE LIGHT."

 When I read the following poem, I felt it brought a little perspective, and I wanted to share it. It's written by Cameo Smith, Mt. Wolf, PA, with Andrea Marie.

No Secret Left Uncovered

Jessica ran from her past...but can she hide from love?

Jessica Morgan wants desperately to forget the past and begin a new life. She chooses a small, peaceful town tucked away in Oregon’s Willamette Valley as the place to start over—Glenbrooke. Once there, Jessica conceals her identity from the intriguing personalities she meets—including the compassionate paramedic who desires to protect her and the jealous woman who wants nothing more than to destroy her.

Will Jessica’s deceit ruin all hope for the future? Or will she find a deeper peace that allows her to stop hiding the truth from those who love her most of all?

 Secrets always have a way to come out, even the deepest secret in the world. Just as Jessica Morgan found it impossible to keep her past as a secret, it eventually came out through Principal Charlotte, the one person who had it in for Jessica.

Even us as Christians, no secret is 'secret' because God knows all and eventually the truth will be revealed for all to see.


I got this book from: Blogging for Books.

Spiritual Warfare

What if you could actually see angels and fallen angels engaging in battle—and you were expected to join the fight?

It’s been one year since Jonah Stone and his sister, Eliza, discovered that their mother is a nephilim, the product of a union between a human and a fallen angel, which makes them and their little brother, Jeremiah, quarterlings, or one-quarter angel. After embarking on an epic journey to rescue their mother and the other nephilim, who were kidnapped by fallen angels, the Stone kids have enjoyed a little peace and quiet.
But when Jonah and Eliza are attacked by fallen angels at school, they learn that quarterlings all over the world are being targeted, and separating them from their parents is the only way to keep them safe. The kids undergo special training to help them discover their own unique angelic gifts, which come in handy when they embark on a mission to find a mysterious prophet who they believe holds the key to Abaddon's defeat in a massive battle between good and evil.

Parents today are looking for fiction that makes Christianity and the Bible exciting for their kids. This series is the first Christian answer to Percy Jackson and the Olympiansand other middle grade series packed with adventure, action, and supernatural fights. But the message is solidly scriptural in that God alone is always in control.

 I have recently noticed that I was under spiritual warfare with the devil and my heart. Even though I am at a Christian university, I have still found myself struggling to be like God everyday. I found that I was fighting a losing battle by myself and arming myself not with the armor that God gave me, but other things that I thought was right and Christian.

Even though I have been at this school for 4 1/2 years, I have come to realize that a Christian school also has its pros and cons. The pros are of course the wonderful classes in which professors will pray for the students at the start of each day, but the cons is that each group is trying to reach the same people and by doing that, is splitting the student body into cliches, instead of really reaching them with the gospel of Christ.

Many things that I have experienced would probably happen to me in s public school, but because a fellow brother and sister in Christ did it to me, I feel more hurt than if a nonChristian did it to me. Because I have started to put on the armor of God, I feel as though God is equipping me to face these trials that have come up against me.